3 Aug 21

Lower Horse Paddock, Broadcroft Quarry Lane, Broadcroft Pools and Broadcroft Butterfly Reserve

It was a pretty good day weather-wise, with plenty of sunshine and light westerly breeze. Main highlight today was my best haul of butterfly species with 14 recorded, including a Clouded Yellow over the Lower Horse Paddock

Mammals Recorded:
5 Bunnies


Birds Recorded:
1 Kestrel
Herring Gull
Wood Pigeon
Collared Dove
2 Swift
4 House Martin
Dunnock
Blackbird
3 Common Whitethroat
1 Willow Warbler
Great Tit
Blue Tit
Magpie
Carrion Crow
Jackdaw
100+ Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Linnet
Goldfinch

By the Pools was a family of Common Whitethroats

The Lower Horse paddock was full of Starlings, with well over a 100 birds chattering away

A pair of Linnets on the butterfly reserve


Butterflies Recorded:
Small Skipper
Large Skipper
Large White
Small White
1 Clouded Yellow
Speckled Wood
Ringlet
Meadow Brown
Gatekeeper
Marbled White
Red Admiral
Small Copper
Common Blue
Chalk Hill Blue

This is my first Ringlet since the 18th July.

With a pale brown leading edge, this is a female Marbled White

Here is another Marbled White

And one other.

A very worn Common Blue


Moths Recorded:
2 Silver Y (Autographa gamma)
1 Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata)
10+ Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)

A Shaded Broad-bar (Scotopteryx chenopodiata). This is only the second one I have seen on the island. The first being on 11th August last year. Many thanks to my good friend Ed Wilson for the ID. I was way off the track.

Six-Spot Burnet moth (Zygaena filipendulae)


Bees Recorded:
Honey Bees (Apis mellifera)
Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris)
Common Carder (Bombus pascuorum)
Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius)

A Buff-tailed Bumblebee on Hemp Agrimony


Hoverflies Recorded:
Marmalade Hoverfly (Episyrphus balteatus)
Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)
Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)
Common Dronefly (Eristalis tenax)
Tapered Dronefly (Eristalis pertinax)
1 - Either a Syrphus ribessi or S. vitrepennis
2 - Most likely a Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)

A male Long Hoverfly (Sphaerophoria scripta)

Dead Head Hoverfly (Myathropa florea)

1 - This either a Syrphus ribessi or S. vitrepennis

1 - Same hoverfly as above. Thank you to Ed Wilson for the ID.

2 - And thank you to Ed again. This is most likely a Migrant Hoverfly (Eupeodes corollae)


Flies, Craneflies, Gnats and Midges Recorded:
Four-spot Wingwaver (Herina lugubris)
Parasitic Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)

Four-spot Wingwaver (Herina lugubris)

Four-spot Wingwaver (Herina lugubris)

Four-spot Wingwaver (Herina lugubris)

And a Parasitic Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)

Parasitic Fly (Eriothrix rufomaculata)


Bugs and Beetles Recorded:
Common Green Shieldbug (Palomena prasina)
Common Red Soldier Beetles (Rhagonycha fulva)

A Common Green Shieldbug 3rd instar nymph

And another, slightly larger Common Green Shieldbug 3rd instar nymph

Common Red Soldier Beetle (Rhagonycha fulva)


Crickets and Grasshoppers Recorded:
Great Green Bush Cricket (Tettigonia viridissima)
Dark Bush-cricket (Pholidoptera griseoaptera)
Common Green Grasshopper (Omocestus viridulus)

A male Common Green Grasshopper

And another.


Caterpillars Recorded:
Large White

A Large White on a Nasturtium leaf


Plants:
Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum)
Red Bartsia (Odontites vernus)
White Comfrey (Symphytum orientale) 
Blackberry

These giant flowers are Shasta Daisies (Leucanthemum x superbum). The flower head can be up to 4in across and the plant itself can grow to 90cm (3ft).

From a distance this is Red Bartsia looks a bit like heather.

It seems to be just lately, that I am finding white flowered plants of species I have already come across in various other colours. Yesterday I came across a White Knapweed as opposed to the hundreds of mauve Common Knapweed I see regularly. And today I came across a White Comfrey (Symphytum orientale) along the Lane, as opposed to the Russian Comfrey I see in Pennsylvania Woods in the Spring.

Autumn is nearly upon us and I've got a good feeling its going to be an excellent year for Blackberries


Ted:

Poor Ted, he's not one for walking in the heat. So it was a short walk today with plenty of water for him to drink on his travels.


Ships Today:

This is the British Replenishment Ship "RFA Tidesurge" just off Portland. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Dutch Tanker "Twister" on its way from Fawley to Stanlow. More on this vessel Here.

This is the Bermudan Passenger Ship "Queen Mary 2" on its way from Southampton to Weymouth Bay. More on this vessel Here.

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On this day..........
2020
Today's Sightings Here

2019
Today's Sightings Here

2018
Today's Sightings Here.

2017
Today' Sightings Here.